


Can't Tear Us Apart

by ekmlau



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Fluff, Multi, Oneshot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-25
Updated: 2017-09-25
Packaged: 2019-01-05 06:35:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12184800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ekmlau/pseuds/ekmlau
Summary: When Kasamatsu notices one of Kise's fangirls acting out of the ordinary, he is intrigued and tries to ask him about it, but apparently Kise is a little more complicated than Kasamatsu originally thought.





	Can't Tear Us Apart

Kasamatsu had never paid much attention to Kise’s fangirls before, apart from telling them off snappishly for disturbing training sessions or blocking the doorway. But as he glared at the group of girls in the corner, someone caught his eye for the first time.

She stood a little apart from the others, neither squealing nor gawking as Kise passed. But there was something about the way she watched Kise that Kasamatsu noticed as he jogged past – the way her eyes followed his every movement, and the small smile pulling up the corners of her lips.

“Who’s that?” Kasamatsu asked, as casually as possible. “The girl over there. She’s been watching you this whole time and hasn’t said a word.”

Kise shrugged, but Kasamatsu had a feeling there was something Kise wasn’t telling him. “She’s probably just another girl who’s fallen in love with me. I thought you’d be used to that already.”

“I’ve never seen her before,” Kasamatsu added, trying to elicit a response from Kise. “She doesn’t seem like the rest of your fangirls.”

“They’re not all as annoying as you think they are, you know.” Kise laughed, clearly trying to change the topic. “Why do you ask? Are you jealous that I’m more popular than you?”

Kasamatsu flushed, and pushed Kise back onto the court. “Of course not, idiot. Shut up and get back to work.”

He couldn’t explain the twisting feeling inside of him as he watched Kise flash grins towards her when he obviously thought Kasamatsu wasn’t watching. He wasn’t jealous of Kise, of course – he wasn’t interested in any of the model’s fans – but, he realised with a painful jolt, he might be slightly jealous of the girl.

No. That couldn’t be it. There was no sensible reason why he would be jealous of a fangirl – especially _Kise’s_ fangirl. He didn’t even think of Kise as a close friend, let alone anything else. He was just flustered thanks to the distraction. Of course.

“You’re unusually talkative today, senpai, now that I think about it,” Kise continued as he ran past, dragging Kasamatsu back to reality.

“No, I’m not,” snapped Kasamatsu. “Maybe you should just go back to not thinking. Apparently, thinking’s too hard for you.”

Kise pouted. “You’re so mean!”

~

Kasamatsu had just exited the school gates when he heard sudden footsteps pounding behind him and a familiar voice yelling, “Senpai!”

“What do you want, Kise?” His voice came out harsher than he’d intended, and Kise’s face fell slightly.

“Do you want to get something to eat?” Kise plastered the beaming smile back onto his face.

“No.”

“Why not?”

He could tell Kise was forcing the smile now, but Kasamatsu couldn’t let himself give in so easily. “Because I… I have to study.”

Kise sighed, completely letting down his carefree façade as his smile collapsed. “That’s the third time this week you’ve given that excuse,” he mumbled.

“Studying is important. You should know that.”

“Isn’t it important to spend time with your friends as well?”

Something inside of Kasamatsu softened, and instead of his usual response that they weren’t really friends, he shrugged and said, “I guess so. What do you want to eat?”

To his surprise, Kise turned away and muttered coldly, “Nothing, really. I just wanted to know if you’re even interested in having friends in the first place, but it seems you’re not.”

Kasamatsu’s voice rose in shock. “What are you talking about? I just said I’ll go eat with you, idiot! Let’s go, already.”

“I don’t want to eat.” Kise stormed off, leaving Kasamatsu bemused and wondering what he possibly could have done wrong.

~

“I just don’t understand what Kise wanted,” Kasamatsu admitted. “I said I’d eat with him, but he suddenly got angry and walked off. Angry enough, apparently, to skip practice.”

Moriyama shook his head in mock disappointment. “If you weren’t so harsh all the time, that might not have happened.”

“What do you mean?”

Moriyama rolled his eyes as though it was obvious. “You never want to do anything with him, even though he always asks you. Don’t you think that’ll make him annoyed?”

Kasamatsu ran his fingers through his hair. “Surely Kise understands that I have to study. And _he_ needs to study too, or he’ll fail all his classes.”

“Have you ever considered that maybe you’ve offended someone who actually cares a lot about you?” Moriyama sat down and sighed in exasperation. “Honestly, Kasamatsu, it’s like you’re the only one in this team who doesn’t understand how much Kise really admires you. Being repeatedly shut down by someone you admire makes you feel meaningless.”

“Then what would you expect me to do?” Kasamatsu demanded, trying to conceal his unease.

Moriyama shrugged. “As much as I know you hate to hear it, I think you need to be more considerate of other people’s feelings. You know,” he added almost as an afterthought, although it was obvious he’d been meaning to say it the whole time, “he’s had a crush on you for quite a while now–”

“No.”

“What? You can’t just assume he doesn’t–”

“Look over there.”

Moriyama’s gaze followed where Kasamatsu pointed, and he took a sharp intake of breath. “Well,” he murmured. “This is certainly a surprise.”

Kise’s fingers were linked with those of the girl that Kasamatsu had pointed out the previous day. When he saw Kasamatsu and Moriyama he waved and declared, “Sorry I wasn’t at practice this morning! Aiki-chan asked me if I could help her take some pictures of the tennis club for the school magazine.”

Kasamatsu’s eye twitched. “You skipped _basketball_ to take photos of people playing _tennis_?”

Moriyama sighed. “I didn’t expect him to be this devoted,” he murmured, but Kasamatsu wasn’t really listening.

Kise smiled brightly. “Well, Aiki-chan needed help, and I couldn’t just abandon her…”

“Well, you should’ve,” Kasamatsu barked. “Your responsibility is to your team, not your – your…”

“My girlfriend?” Kise suggested, smirking a little. “Is it too hard for you to accept that maybe I have other priorities as well? You just have to make time for some things. Unlike you and your studying.”

Kasamatsu noticed Moriyama’s sideways glance, but ignored it. He knew that Kise was still offended from the previous day’s conflict, but hadn’t expected him to go this far with it.

“So, you mean to say that you’ve done all this just to get back at Kasamatsu for being cold and emotionless?” Moriyama laughed, clearly a little confused.

Kise’s eyes widened. “No, not at all! Aiki-chan just happened to ask me out, and I said yes. Really, senpai, you think I’d be that cruel?” He forced a laugh.

Kasamatsu scowled. “If you don’t want to be here, leave. Just come to practice sometime when you feel like it.” He turned away. “Let’s go,” he added in an undertone to Moriyama. “I’ve got better things to do than watch Kise and his girlfriend parade around the school.”

He could hear Moriyama offering an apology to Kise and Aiki as Kasamatsu went off ahead. Once again, Kasamatsu was frustrated, though he wasn’t entirely sure why. Kise had skipped practice before, and he’d never felt this annoyed. And it wasn’t as though the appearance of Aiki was overly unexpected – Kise had so many fans that it was a wonder to everyone that he hadn’t gotten a girlfriend sooner.

“I know why you’re mad at him,” Moriyama said in that irritatingly smooth voice. “Want me to tell you?”

“No. I’m not mad at him.”

“Yes, you are.”

Kasamatsu quickened his pace in an attempt to avoid the conversation, but Moriyama matched his speed easily.

“If you’d just been nicer to him, you wouldn’t be in this situation.”

Kasamatsu spun around. “I really couldn’t care less about Kise right now,” he snapped.

“Then why are you so flustered?”

Kasamatsu started to stomp away, but Moriyama put a hand on his shoulder. “Look, Kasamatsu,” he said. “I’m not meaning to annoy you, but I think you need to calm down a bit.”

Kasamatsu sighed heavily. “What do you want?”

Moriyama crossed his arms. “What does Kise mean to you?”

“What the hell are you–”

“I mean it.”

“I… well… I don’t know what Kise means to me! What is this, a counselling session?” Kasamatsu threw his hands in the air and started making his way towards his classroom.

“Kasamatsu, please.” The seriousness Moriyama’s voice was so uncommon that Kasamatsu found himself unable to retort. “I honestly just want to help you. We’re friends, right?”

Kasamatsu nodded grudgingly. “Yeah, I guess.”

“Then listen to me. Who on this team makes you the most stressed?”

“Kise,” Kasamatsu answered immediately.

“Why?”

Kasamatsu shrugged. “He’s full of himself and he’s always doing stupid things and showing off. He’s disobedient and overreacts about nearly everything. It’s like trying to look after a kid.”

“But would you say, overall, you like spending time with him?”

Kasamatsu tilted his head in contemplation. “I guess so. But what’s this got to do with anything?”

Moriyama smirked incredulously. “God, you really are oblivious. It’s obvious to everyone on our team that you’ve grown fond of Kise. And don’t think I didn’t notice how troubled you seemed when you saw him with Aiki-san. Are you, perhaps, jealous of the attention she’s getting from Kise? He’s always giving you so much attention, and you just push him away – but now, have you realised how much you actually valued that?”

Kasamatsu shook his head slowly. “I don’t understand what you’re–”

“Do I actually have to spell it out for you?” Moriyama looked a little put out. “It’d be more interesting if you came to the conclusion by yourself and had a little revelation.”

“Just tell me what you’re trying to say.” Kasamatsu’s patience was rapidly dissolving. “I don’t have time for you to make stupid jokes.”

“Please don’t kick me when I tell you this.” Moriyama took a deep breath. “From my observations, I’ve concluded that you have developed a certain… well, attraction… towards our teammate Kise…”

Kasamatsu felt his pulse quicken slightly. “I… you… no… Do you really expect me to have an epiphany and realise sudden suppressed feelings for Kise, just because you told me that?”

“Well, yes, in fact, I think it’s highly likely that you will.”

~

Despite his frustration, Kasamatsu found himself dwelling on Moriyama’s words that evening. He’d never considered Kise to be more than a teammate – friend, if he had to – but he realised now that he certainly held some sort of grudging affection for Kise.

It wasn’t love – he was sure of that – but not something as simple as a crush. Yet he could definitely say that he felt something for Kise; he liked him, he knew that much. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he wished he’d been kinder to Kise, and then they might’ve been on good enough terms for Kasamatsu to ask him out. But none of that mattered anymore, since Kise had his Aiki-chan and didn’t seem to want anything to do with Kasamatsu anymore.

Unable to concentrate on his work, Kasamatsu threw down his pen and leaned back in his chair, wondering what Moriyama had meant when he said Kise might have a crush on him. With a regretful smile, he realised that if Kise had once liked him, it was Kasamatsu who had ruined his own chances by being so harsh on him all the time.

There was no point thinking about it anymore, he told himself firmly. It would be selfish to confess to him now and threaten Kise’s relationship with Aiki. He just wished Moriyama had mentioned something earlier – that way, Kasamatsu might have been able to sort out his own feelings sooner. He still needed to make it up to Kise for being so cold to him, and maybe they could get closer – even if it was just as friends, if that was what Kise wanted.

He was disappointed in himself, but that was what made him even more determined to prove that, despite it all, he actually did care.  

~

Kasamatsu inhaled deeply, before shaking his head and starting again. “Ah, Kise… I’d like to apologise. In upholding my role as your captain, I neglected my duty as your friend. I hope you can forgive me.”

Kise offered a weak half-smile. “You worry too much, senpai.”

“I’ll try harder to do things with you,” Kasamatsu insisted, not noticing the conflicted frown crossing Kise’s face.

“Senpai… you don’t have to make yourself do something you don’t want to. I understand that you’re busy, so–”

Throwing all caution to the wind, Kasamatsu pressed his own lips to Kise’s, and for a moment he felt Kise kissing him back, before suddenly pushing him away.

“I – I – I can’t.” Kise bit his lip.

Kasamatsu’s eyes widened in shock from the outright rejection, although he knew what was coming. Kise was with Aiki, and there was no place for him. He berated himself silently for his impulsiveness. Kissing Kise had not been part of his original plan.

Yet he was not prepared to hear what Kise said next.

“Senpai, I like you. A lot. But I spent so much time waiting and wondering if you would ever feel the same way that I had to move on. Aiki-chan asked me out the other day, but I turned her down because I was going to confess to you. I tried, three times this week. I was planning to confess to you while eating somewhere nice, and maybe going to sing karaoke afterwards. Each of those times, you rejected me before we’d even left school, and so I decided to give up. I found Aiki-chan and asked her out, and I’ve been trying to forget about you ever since. I was sad for so long, waiting for you – but now I’m happy spending time with Aiki-chan.”

Kasamatsu could see the tears glimmering in Kise’s eyes, and wished he could be the one to brush them away. But his hand remained at his side as he murmured, “I – I’m sorry, Kise. It took me so long to realise what you mean to me, but I guess it’s too late now.”

Kise nodded slowly. “Yeah… I guess so…”

Kasamatsu turned away. “I wish I could’ve been there for you, Kise, but I wasn’t – and I’m so sorry.”

~

Kise couldn’t help himself from thinking about Kasamatsu, but he had promised himself that he would forget everything he used to feel. Still… If only he hadn’t stormed off the third time he asked Kasamatsu out, he would have had a chance to confess – and even if he was rejected, Moriyama would have found out somehow and lectured Kasamatsu about his feelings. Then he would have gladly accepted that kiss.

He’d been so quick to turn to Aiki that he’d abandoned the person he loved the most.

 _Damn it._ He sighed and leaned his face on his textbook. Part of him hated Kasamatsu for being so oblivious, but he couldn’t help but blame himself as well.

But none of that mattered now. He was with Aiki now, and he had to be loyal to her.

~

“Kise, I’m sorry about–”

“It’s fine, it’s fine.” Kise brushed away Kasamatsu’s apology as though it meant nothing to him.

Which was probably true, Kasamatsu thought ruefully. Kise had heard it so many times already – Kasamatsu was sorry for kissing him, sorry for liking him, sorry for threatening his relationship with Aiki. Kasamatsu couldn’t blame him if he was sick of it.

“Sorry, Aiki-san.” Kasamatsu inclined his head towards Aiki as he left hurriedly.

He felt stupid, so stupid, for still caring about Kise. He should just forget about him and leave him be, but he couldn’t. He blamed Moriyama for making him think about how he truly felt, but there was nothing he could do now.

Against his will, the memory of the kiss drifted back into his mind. He remembered the softness of Kise’s lips on his own, and how it had felt when Kise had, for that split second, been kissing him back. It had felt so _right_ , he realised, like that was what he’d been waiting for his whole life. Silently remonstrating himself for such ridiculous thoughts, he trudged to his classroom, where Moriyama sat waiting.

“Well?” he demanded, crossing his arms in expectance. “I’ve been trying to call you all weekend. What did you say to Kise on Friday?”

Kasamatsu averted his gaze. “Nothing useful.” He was grateful for Moriyama’s friendship and attempted guidance, but he really was so pushy. Did it really matter to him what Kasamatsu said to Kise?

As though reading his thoughts, Moriyama sighed. “I know you find me annoying, Kasamatsu, but I really do want to help you.”

“I can help myself,” Kasamatsu snapped, his mood darkening even more.

Moriyama rolled his eyes with an insolent smirk. “Are you sure? Why are you avoiding my questions then?”

Kasamatsu threw down his bag, causing his classmates to glance, intrigued, in his direction. “Nothing happened, all right?”

“Kasamatsu? If there’s anything I can do–”

“You can tell Kise I’ll leave him alone if that’s what he wants,” blurted Kasamatsu, slumping into the nearest seat.

“Kasamatsu, what–”

“God, Moriyama, how could I have been so stupid? All year I’ve wondered why Kise’s so annoying, and I never stopped to think about how much I actually valued him as a person. And it seems I can’t work anything out for myself, because it’s taken me this long just to realise I like him. I always turned him away and shut him out because I thought he was just an overenthusiastic idiot, but apparently he liked me too. But now… Now none of that’s important because I took too long to work it all out and he’s moved on.” Kasamatsu shook his head.

“Honestly, what did you tell him?” Moriyama’s teasing tone had transformed into concern. “Did you confess or something?”

Kasamatsu fiddled with a pen. “I – ah… I apologised for being insensitive, but then… I kissed him. I wasn’t meaning to, but I couldn’t stop myself.”

Moriyama’s eyes were filled with disbelief. “You’re an idiot, you know that?”

Kasamatsu tried to interrupt, but Moriyama continued, “All that’ll do is make Kise even more uncomfortable, so he’ll skip practice again. And you’ll be depressed for god knows how long, and it’ll drive me insane. You–”

“I get it.” The harshness in his own voice surprised him, but Kasamatsu was beyond the point of caring. “I don’t know what I was thinking.”

~

As much as he tried to convince himself otherwise, to Kise, Aiki really felt more like a friend than a girlfriend. He enjoyed her company, and she made him laugh, but he knew that his heart wasn’t really in it.

She seemed to be somewhat aware of this herself, because she was always telling him how grateful she was that he was spending time with her. He felt awful each time she said it. Aiki genuinely liked him, but friendship was all he could really offer her.

“How’s Kasamatsu-senpai?” she asked one morning after practice.

Kise only shrugged, feeling guilty now that he was certain that Aiki knew about his internal struggle regarding Kasamatsu. “He’s fine, I guess.”

“I know you don’t think of me in that way, Kise-kun,” she said suddenly.

When Kise tried to protest, she lay a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’m not expecting anything more from you. It was nice, acting like we were actually together, but I know that’s not what you need.” She smiled softly. “I’ll always be here for you though. As your friend.”

Unexpected tears sprang to Kise’s eyes. “Thanks, Aiki-chan.”

~

Kise didn’t think he would survive the week if he continued like this. Not a single class had passed without a teacher telling him off for getting distracted, and he’d been avoiding Kasamatsu in every way possible – including keeping his mouth shut in training so Kasamatsu wouldn’t have an excuse to yell at him.

He’d spoken to Aiki for advice, and she told him straight away to confess. There was no point in trying to conceal his feelings, she’d said, but Kise was still uneasy. He didn’t know what Kasamatsu would think if he suddenly confessed straight after rejecting him, but Aiki said that if Kasamatsu really cared about him, he’d just be glad.

That gave Kise another reason to feel guilty about Aiki. Prior to asking her out, he’d rejected her confession, and now he was going to do nearly the same thing to Kasamatsu. But he needed an answer. If Kasamatsu didn’t like him anymore, he’d move on for real this time. If he still felt the same way he did when he kissed Kise, hopefully Kise would have a chance.

Kise had asked Kasamatsu to meet him after school, and he’d agreed, so that was a good sign so far. Yet his optimism quickly diminished when Kasamatsu failed to arrive on time.

 _He’s probably just caught up with his last class,_ Kise reassured himself. He would have been grateful for the extra time it gave him to think of what to say, but it just proved to make him increasingly anxious, and by the time Kasamatsu arrived, his mind was blank.

“S – senpai,” Kise stammered, before breathing deeply to calm his nerves. “I’m sorry about everything I’ve said lately. I was just–”

“It doesn’t matter,” Kasamatsu interrupted. “I’m sorry for trying to barge into your relationship with Aiki–”

“We’re not in a relationship.”

Kasamatsu’s voice rose slightly. “What?”

“We were, but we weren’t… I – oh, I don’t know,” spluttered Kise, running his hand through his hair. He was going to ruin everything with his sudden inability to form coherent sentences. “The thing is, senpai… I like you. And I’m sorry if you can’t accept that because I turned you down already, but–”

“Kise, you idiot, am I allowed to kiss you this time or not?”

Kise looked up to see a slightly embarrassed grin flash over Kasamatsu’s face, and he felt a smile tug at the corners of his own lips. “Why don’t you try it and see what happens?”

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading!! if you’ve got any suggestions or you’d like to chat, talk to me on tumblr @midotaka-is-destiny


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